Exeter Public Library Participates in Library Madness

Get your madness on at the Exeter Public Library this month.  Yes, you read that right, brackets and madness at your local library.  The Exeter Public Library and Gilbert Public Library in Friend are participating in Southeast Public Library System’s “Library Madness.”

For the next four weeks libraries will be competing against other local libraries for the number of checkouts.  The library with the highest total of checkouts per capita will move up to the next bracket. The contest will end in the first week of April.

The larger libraries are on one side of the bracket which includes, Kilgore Memorial Library in York, Seward Memorial Library, Crete Public Library, Waverly Community Library and Greenwood Public Library.

During the first week Gilbert Public Library will face Palmyra Memorial Library and Exeter has a bye week before facing Weeping Water Public Library. If Gilbert Public Library moves on they would face Pawnee City Public Library.

In week number three, if both the Exeter Public Library and Gilbert Public Library perform well, they could meet in a semi-final bracket.

In order for that to happen patrons at both libraries will have to “check out movies, magazines, books, and audio books.  All of these check outs will count for the contest,” according to Exeter Public Library Director Jessica Votipka.

Votipka explained, “The Library Commission has set up each libraries local service area based on statistics.  Exeter’s is 591 individuals so they will use that number to base the checkouts per capita.  This evens the playing field.”

Jackie Larsen, Gilbert Public Library Director thought “It sounded like fun.  We did a test run a week ahead.”

As for the what will happen if the two libraries meet, Larsen has “No predictions on the outcome right now. It’s too early to tell.”

Votipka is excited about the event, ”Stop in and support the library during Library Madness.”

Exeter-Milligan Post Office to See Reduction in Hours

Exeter residents were informed at a town hall meeting Monday evening that their post office will have a reduction in hours starting approximately April 20^th.

Todd Case, the Post Office Regional Manager along with Seward Postmaster Greg Walz, presented the findings of a recent postal survey in Exeter and announced upcoming changes to the hours the Exeter Post office is open.

Case spent the majority of the evening reviewing the financial flaws in the current postal system.  He detailed the major financial loses including the rising gasoline costs, the outdated business model of the postal system and the future retirement payment issues.

Last year, Case held 34 town halls in Southeast Nebraska where the Postal Service had planned to eliminate the post office.  In each of those communities, through the appeal process, the postal offices were retained.  “Headquarters (in Washington D.C.) evaluated the appeals and the workloads in each office and instead of shutting down completely reduced the work hours.”

Exeter was not one of the communities scheduled to lose their post office at that time.  Case explained that the postal system created an equation to rank the post offices using their revenue amounts and their incoming mail volume.  This way they were able to evaluate how many work hours the work load in a post office required.  “They found that they could save $ 500 million dollars per year by reducing hours.  Taking all the options within the constraints given us (by the government) to save as much as we can and not closing your post office,” explained Case.

Exeter’s proposed hours will be reduced from 8 hours to 6 hours with the new hours Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a lunch time from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Saturday from 7:45-9:15 a.m.

Of the 383 surveys mailed in Exeter, 180 were returned and 92 % showed that they wanted a realignment of hours versus closing the post office.  However, Case pointed out, “This is a done deal.  I’m going to be blunt and honest with you.  We are going to reduce your hours and that fact is not going to change.”

Case hopes that one of the 87 career officers in this area postal system who will have to find another job, retire or be laid off by September of 2014 will find the six hour job in Exeter appealing.  “I’m not worried about finding someone to cover Exeter.  Lynn has done a great job but I am confident we will find someone to fill this office.”

Case left time for the audience to respond and several were frustrated by the restrictions that Congress has placed on the postal system.  Case responded “You’re preachin’ to the choir.”

Case also reassured rural customers that there would be no change to their delivery service unless they come to the post office to buy stamps and then the new hours would be the only change they would see.

Case also discussed a few options the post office is looking into to grow revenue, “The package delivery business has grown 14% in the last year and we are working in a test market to see if same day delivery is a viable option.”

Another possible avenue for revenue that Case mentioned involved the toll that email has had on the volume of deliverable mail, “We are also looking at an electronic postage concept which creates a secure email.”

It was also noted there is a notification at the post office that the nighttime pick up time in the outside box will change on April 1^st to 4:30 p.m.  Unless there are some security issues Case expects the hours at Exeter to change on April 20^th but noted that there would be a 30 day notice posted with the actual hours.

Another audience member asked if there would be preference given to an applicant with Exeter ties but Case was more concerned about an applicants business sense.  The administrative office for the Exeter post office is the York postmaster.

Hazardous Household Waste Recycling

Exeter-Milligan Update: World Read Aloud Day

Students in the Junior Class read this book to the Kindergarteners.  Alex and Robert added some nice sound 

effects which were enjoyable to the little kids. (More pictures below).

 The end product of the day for the kinders was a bunch of Pout-Pout Fish in one large fish bowl. :)

 Students in the Junior class read this book to the first grade students.

 The Junior girls, Meridith and Logan read to the first graders and…..

 the Junior boys, Nolan, Garrett, and Cody looked on in support. :)

 The older kids helped the younger kids with a Cat in the Hat coloring activity. 

Once the activity was over, the younger kids read to the older kids.  The older kids were very attentive and 

amazed at how well the younger kids can read.

Trenton read his story book to Garrett.

 

 Savana K. read her story book to Logan.

 Andrew read his story book to Cody.

 Tyler read his story book to Meridith.

 Britney, Deidra, and Erica red the Pout-Pout Fish while Robert and Alex made some nice pouting sound effects.

Dravin read his story book to Nolan.

 

The end products for the first grade group were Cat in the Hat coloring sheets that were hung outside their 

classroom.

 

 Juniors read this book to the second grade students.

 Kylie, Brooke, James, and Nathan read while the second grade students were attentively listening.

 With the help of the older kids, the second graders colored their own pigs and made their own pigsties.

 Chase read a story he wrote to Brooke, and Kylie.

The end product of the second grade class is a picture of each student's pigsty.

 Grades 3-6 at the Milligan site could not be left out of World Read Day.  Seniors read stories to these kiddos 

via a google hangout. Mrs. Haider explained to the younger students the importance of reading.  The kids were

amazed at the number of people in the world that cannot read. Fourth graders Listen as Malinda reads to them.

 Third graders also participated in the google hangout.

 Jackie also read a story.

 Malinda read a story.

Once the coloring activity was over, it was the little kids turns to show their skills and read to the older kids.

Carter and Mikey read their reading book to Deidra.

At the completion of the book, the older kids helped the little kids (and participated themselves) in the coloring 

of a Pout-Pout Fish.

 Kierra read her story book to Robert.

 Liberty read her story book to Erica.

 Jayden read his story book to Alex.

Madison read her story book to Britney.

 

Aidan read his story book to Deidra.